Leavenworth sets 2027 legislative priorities

LEAVENWORTH — Leavenworth City Council approved its list of 2027 legislative priorities Oct. 27, which includes funding for housing, wildfire mitigation and city projects.

According to the City of Leavenworth, these priorities will be shared with local legislators before and during the 2027 session, both in writing and through discussion. Council members may also advocate for pieces of legislation supporting the priorities.

Wildfire prevention and mitigation are a major priority for Leavenworth, which was identified as the most wildfire-threatened community in the state in a 2018 U.S. Forest Service study. The city plans to support the improvement of fire hazard mitigation legislation, seek funding for risk reduction work surrounding the city, work with Chelan County and the U.S. Forest Service to support mitigation efforts, and educate residents on loss mitigation strategies in the wildland-urban interface.

The city is also asking for up to $3 million in transportation funding for completing the connector road between Titus and Chumstick Highway, a budget proviso of $700,000 to purchase bear-resistant garbage cans for downtown businesses, and a capital grant of $5 million for the conversion of the old Osborn school to a public pool, library and community center.

One of the city’s top priorities is to work with the Governor’s Office and other legislative partners, including the Association of Washington Cities (AWC), to explore new resources and policies that increase funding for affordable housing.

The city will advocate for several ways to increase affordable housing funding, building on RCW 82.14.370, which allows the use of the county’s 0.09% sales tax for economic development to include workforce housing.

First, the city would like the state to change current law to allow for additional taxes and fees on homes that are not intended to be primary residences, such as second homes and vacation rentals. These could include fees collected at the time of sale and a surcharge added to the property tax rate. Revenue would be used to address the need for workforce housing for households earning up to 120% of area median income (AMI).

Additionally, the city would support the pursuit of an additional tax as a funding stream for workforce housing, such as adding a small portion of tax to the existing lodging tax to be used to develop workforce housing.

It is also requesting the legislature to review RCW 82.14.530, which authorizes one-tenth of the 1% local sales tax to support affordable housing for populations requiring special needs or with very low incomes. The city says it would like the revisions to authorize the use of the funds for workforce housing serving up to 120% AMI.

The city’s priorities also align with key areas of emphasis that the Association of Washington Cities will be lobbying for, which covers fiscal responsibility, housing, jobs, and infrastructure.

In matters of fiscal sustainability, the city supports a local government fiscal health account proposed as part of the legislative approach to SB 6346, or the "millionaires' tax.” The city calls for funding the account at an amount that backfills lost revenue from sales tax exemptions and includes a growth factor that keeps up with revenue growth and inflation, beginning in 2029.

The city encourages changes to expand the impact of existing revenue tools, such as expanding and enhancing funding tools for transportation benefit districts or authorizing a local short-term rental tax for affordable housing. It advocates for increasing the share of liquor and cannabis revenue distributed to cities and towns and giving local governments greater flexibility in how they use the revenue. It also calls for escalating state funding for the Municipal Criminal Justice Assistance Account (MCJAA).

Legislative priorities regarding housing, jobs and infrastructure include investment in the Public Works Assistance Account and increased funding and eligibility for the Connecting Housing and Infrastructure Program (CHIP). CHIP helps cities reduce the cost of building affordable housing by covering or reimbursing essential water, sewer, and stormwater infrastructure. The city suggests expanding the program to include impact fees, sidewalks, public works and road improvements, ADA compliance, and off-site requirements.

Taylor Caldwell: 509-433-7276 or taylor@ward.media